Low voltage switch



March 17, 1953 ZELLNER 2,632,072

LOW VOLTAGE SWITCH Filed March 20. 1950 lllllll INVENTOR. FLOYD L. ZELLN ER BY Z 2 flZZz Patented Mar. 17, 1953 UNITED STATES i /ATENT OFFICE LOW VOLTAGE SWITCH Floyd L. Zellner, Seattle, Wash.

Application March 20, 1950, Serial No; 150,660

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to improvements in low voltage operated relay switches, which are adapted to be controlled from either one station or series of stations, or from a master switch located at one station.

The primary object of my invention is to design a relay switch operated :by a low voltage transformer employing a two-wire operating circuit, featuring a positive on and oil station control switch. With my new and improved relay, master station switches. are greatly simplified.

Another object of my invention is in the economy and convenience of installation of a low cost relay switch, having a simple low voltage control wiring layout.

A further object of my invention is to be able to control a relay switch from various stations with a two-wire low voltage control circuit for operating the said relay switch.

A. still further object of my invention is the reduction of maintenance cost after the switches have been installed.

Another object of my invention is the provision of a simplified relay switch wherein remote master control switches can be readily adapted to work in connection therewith.

These and other incidental. objects will be apparent in the drawings, specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective view or my new and improved low voltage relay switch.

Figure 2 is a sectional view, taken through the relay switch, the same being shown installed on a fragmentary portion of an outlet box. In this View the switch is shown in open position.

Figure 3 is a side view of Figure 2, parts being broken away for convenience of illustration, showing the switch in closed position.

Figure i is a plan sectional view, taken on line 44 of Figure 2.

Figure 5 is a diagrammatical layout of my new and improved relay switch, including a simple station operating switch and a transformer for reducin the voltage for operating the relay v switch.

its polarity changed in the operation of the switch to be described more fully later. Pivotally mounted within the casing i is a permanent mag- 2 net 4, shown circular and which is recessed intermediately or diametrically at the core side and whose position is controlled by the core 3 in the following manner.

A. hinge assembly consisting of the bar 5 and the bar 5 supports the permanent magnet 4-, "re rerring particularly to Figures 2 and 3. The bar 8 is pivotally connected to the bar 5 by the hinged joint 8, while the bar 5 is held in position by the electric terminal 9. The bar 6 has a reverse bend ill terminating in a bar 1 I, which has the magnet iiixedly secured thereto by any suitable means, said means being of an insulating type, as it is not desirable to conduct electricity from the bar i l to the permanent magnet A. The pivotally mounted bar 5 provides an electric switch Soar between. the terminal 9 and the terminal IZ when the switch is in the position illustrated in Figure 3.

My new and improved relay, when used in the regular outlet box 53 is held in place within one of the openings it by the special spring clip :5 which caps the casing i oithe relay, best illustrated in Figures 1 and 2. The cars i8 form part of the casing i, pass through the openings B1 in the end of clip cap I 5 and are clinched thereove'r. The spring clip i5 has reversely curved resilient jaws or fingers 58 formed therein by spaced longitudinal slots extending partially inwardly from the end edge with restricted concaved or inwardly curved intermediate portions which receive the edge of and tend to expand into the opening i l of the box when the relay is pushed through the said opening, thereby holding the same in the position illustrated.

The terminals 9 and it are mounted to the non-conductor disk !9. This non-conductor disk fits over the end of the casing i, having openings the ein for embracing the cars It so that when the spring clip i 5 is locked in place the same will hold the disk against the end of the casting i.

I will now describe the operation of my new and improved low voltage relay switch. A transformer 26 reduces the voltage to be used in connection with the low voltage coil 2, therefore we have A. (3. current which must be rectified to D. C. in order to operate my relay switch. To close the relay switch from the position illustrated in Figure 2 to that of Figure 3, the current must pass through the coil 2 but in one direction, therefore I provide a half-wave rectifier 2| in my remote station control switch 2| A, referring to Figure 5.

We will assume the station switch 2 i A is moved by handle 2 dB to the position of on, when current will flow from the transformer through wir ing 22 to the brush 23, collector ring 24, through the rectifier 2| into the ring 25 out the brush 25, Wiring 2! into the coil 2 creating a north pole within the electric magnetic core 3 to attract the south pole of permanent magnet 4. This would pivot the permanent magnet 4 about its pivot point 8 to the position shown in Figure 3, due to the fact that like poles repel one another and unlike poles attract. This causes the bar 5 to contact the terminal l2, permitting electric energy to flow from the high voltage conductor 28, terminal 9, conductor bar 5 and bar 6 into the said terminal 52, thence through the electric consuming device 29 back into the line conductor 36.

The rectifier switch 25A is only momentarily closed and when the rectifier switch 2 lA is opened the electric magnetic core 3 is demagnetized. The flared end 3| of the said core will, however, function as a keeper bar and continue to hold the permanent magnet 4, as in Fig. 3. Thus the south pole of the permanent magnet will be held adjacent the flared or flanged portion at of the core 3 since it is in the most effective magnetic area.

This force then maintains the switch bar 6 in snug contact with the termina1 52, thereby eliminating the use of any springs. By eliminating springs in my relay switch, I have simplified the same in construction and have designed a more reliable switch.

In order to open my relay switch A, the switch handle MB of the switch ZIA is moved to the off position. This reverses the flow of energy through the coil 2 of the relay by reversing the position of the collector rings 2 and 25 relative to the brushes 23 and 26, causing the reversal of current through the wiring 22 and 2'! into the coil 2 by way of the half-wave rectifier 2!, thereby creating a south pole within the lower end of the electromagnetic core 3 attracting the north pole of the permanent magnet 13 and repelling the south pole thereof, thereby pivoting the permanent magnet 4 to the position illustrated in Figure 2, opening the above described high voltage circuit through the device 25.

The switch will be held open by the same principle as above stated by the fact that the north pole of the permanent magnet 4 is in a close proximity to the flanged end 3! of the core 3 acting as a keeper. The switch 2 EA is held in a neutral position by the action of the centering springs 32.

It can be readily understood that any number of rectifiers 2| and operating switches 2 A may be placed in parallel with the conductors 22 and 2?, said station switches being located at various locations relative to the relay switch A, and fur ther it can be readily understood how a master switch may be employed where several relays could be operated from one point by a selective switch working in connection with the conductors 22 and 21 from each relay, said master switch having a rectifier unit 2i incorporated therein. I expect to cover the construction of the rectifier switches in another application.

Referring to Figure 6, I illustrate a low voltage relay switch as it would appear where extremely high voltages were being used in controlling heavy machines, or other electric consuming devices and the like.

Although certain specific embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it is obvious that many modifications thereof are possible. The invention, therefore, is not to be restricted except in so far as is necessitated by the' prior art and by the spirit of the appended claims.

7 in position, the cap having resilient flanges to What I claim is:

1. A switch, comprising a low voltage single pole electromagnet, a polarized armature member pivotally mounted adjacent the end of the electromagnet to be controlled thereby, a first bar, a movable second bar hingedly attached to said first bar and said armature member is connected to said second bar, a first terminal connected to the first bar, a second terminal adjacent said first terminal, two circuit contacts one or" which is attached to the first terminal, the companion circuit contact being connected to said second terminal which is positioned in the path of the movable second bar to be engaged thereby and separate circuit connections between said magnet, contacts and bars for the energization and de-energization of said magnet.

2. A switch as defined in claim 1 wherein the movable second bar includes a strip of metal bent over on itself, the bent over portion being attached to the armature member and spaced from the opposite part of the said metal strip, a hinge at the opposite end. of the metal strip and the first bar for hingedly connecting the first and second bars in movable relation to each other.

3. A switch, comprising a casing, a low voltage electromagnet in the casing, the casing having projecting prongs, a cover for the casing, said cover having passages near its outer edge, a pair of circuit contacts attached to the cover, a fixed plate extending from one of the contacts, a resilient metal strip bent upon itself to provide spaced-apart members, one of said members being pivoted to the end of the plate, the other said member forming a support for a polarized armature member, and a cap for the end of the casing, said cap having slots, the prongs on the casing extending through the passages in the cover and the slots in the cap, the cap having resilient flanges to engage the wall of an opening when mounting the switch for use.

4. A switch, comprising a casing, a single core low voltage electromagnet in the casing, the casing having projecting ears, a cover for the casing, said cover having passages near its outer edge, a pair of circuit contacts attached to the cover, a fixed plate extending from one of the. contacts, a metal strip bent upon itself to pro-' vide spaced-apart members, one of said members being pivoted to the end of the plate to provide a movable contact, the other said member forming a support, a polarized armaturemember mounted on the support, and a cap for the end of the casing, said cap having slots, the ears on the casing extending through the passages in the cover and the slots in the cap, the

cap having a resilient flange around the casing to engage the wall of an opening when mounting the switch for use.

5. A switch comprising a casing, a single pole low voltage electro-magnet in the casing, a cover detachab-ly engaged on the casing, a pair of circuit terminals attached to the cover, one forming a fixed contact, a fixedcontact plate extending from one of said terminals, a movable resilient metal contact hinged at one end to the end of the plate intermediate the terminals overlying the other terminal at a point remote from said hinge and having a portion spaced therefrom forming a support, a polarized armature member mounted on and insulated from said support portion, and a cap detachably held on the end of the casing over the cover and holding the latter engage the wall of an opening in an outlet box for mounting the switch for use.

6. A switch comprising a casing, a single pole low voltage electro-magnet in the casing, the casing having projecting edge lugs, a cover for the casing having edge slots through which the lugs extend, a pair of circuit terminals mounted through the cover, a conductor plate attached at one end to and extending from one of said terminals, a resilient metal contact strip hinged at one end to the extended end of the conductor plate between the terminals, overlying the other terminal and having an upper supporting portion spaced therefrom and spanning the terminals, a polarized armature member secured on and extending the length of said portion and electrically insulated therefrom, and a cap for the end of the casing over the cover and holding the latter and terminals in position, said cap having slots through which the lugs extend and are clinched to secure the cap in position, said cap having spring jaws to expand against the wall of an opening in an outlet box around the casing to detaohably mount the switch therein.

FLOYD L. ZELLNER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number Number UNITED STATES PATENTS 

